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December 1, 2013

The Sandy Spring Quilt - Part 3

Research can be a solitary activity but the connections we make with others in the process are particularly rewarding. Investigation of the Sandy Spring Quilt resulted in many miles, in-person visits, and much correspondence, especially with Joanna Church, the Collections Manager of the Montgomery County Historical Society, Rockville, Maryland. She was already familiar with the historical community whose names are inscribed on the Sandy Spring Quilt. In our shared quest to discover why the Sandy Spring Quilt was made, she observed several links between the quilt's signatories.

"Albina O. Stabler". Photo by Joanna Church. Courtesy of the Montgomery County

Historical Society, Rockville, Maryland.

Most inscribed identities had connections to the Religious Society of Friends; most were residents of the town of Sandy Spring, Maryland, at the time of the quilt's making; and, many appear in records of the town's clubs. Actually it is fair to say that in 1858 the people of Sandy Spring were crazy for clubs!

One such club was the Mutual Improvement Association, the oldest continually meeting women's association in the United States. It first met on May 1, 1857. The organization's objective was to "elevate the minds, increase the happiness, lighten the labor or add to the comfort of one another, our families or friends."

Courtesy of the Montgomery County Historical Society, Rockville, Maryland.

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﻿They had quilting parties and rag balls where men and women "socialized over tea and cake, sewed strips of cloth together, and then wound them into balls for rug weaving." They also had a Farmer's Club, reading circles, and a debating society that met for a while at the Fair Hill Boarding School for Girls.

One debating society participant was Anna Farquhar. She was one of eleven Fair Hill students or alumna whose names appear on the Sandy Spring Quilt. She was also a wonderful letter-writer.

Anna Farquhar (1834-1917). Photo courtesy of the Sandy Spring Museum,

Sandy Spring, Maryland.

On "1st day evening, 1858" Anna Farquhar wrote to "My dear Eliza": "Do tell me thy candid opinion about admitting gentlemen. I heard this evening that some of the ladies said they would not attend if any gentlemen came, but I do not know whether there is any truth in that. I really want to know what thee thinks of it. Is not this a neighborhood of clubs just at this time? The young gents seem very much interested in their debating society and I hope it may flourish, but would thee not like to put on an invisible cap and hear some of [their] speeches [ . . .] I would give anything in reason to hear them."

One month later, in February of 1858, Anna had some news to share with her cousin.

"I hear Robert Stabler went up to Loudoun to see Hannah Taylor, and perhaps that will be the beginning of a change, but please do not tell anyone I said so, for I have a great objection to spreading such reports. It would be very pleasant to have Hannah among us, for I think she is a first rate girl."

Hannah Boone Taylor Stabler (1835-1922). Photo courtesy of

the Sandy Spring Museum, Sandy Spring, Maryland.

Anna need not have worried that she was spreading unfounded gossip. Hannah Taylor and Robert Stabler were married in 1858. The descendant whose correspondence first suggested the origin of the Sandy Spring Quilt was their great-granddaughter. The inscription "H.B. Stabler" (Hannah Boone, maiden name Taylor, Stabler) appears on the quilt along with the names of Hannah's mother-in-law, two of her nieces-by-marriage, and at least four (possibly five) of her sisters-in-law.

(probably short for Alexandria, Virginia). Photos by Joanna Church. Courtesy of

the Montgomery County Historical Society, Rockville, Maryland.

Following their marriage, Hannah and Robert M. Stabler settled in the "lovely old homestead", Edgewood II. The daughter of Jonathan and Lidia Taylor of Loudoun County, Virginia, Hannah came "to Sandy Spring as a young bride, [and] there were few personalities among us who held so warm and a secure a place in the community." The couple were "especially and much beloved by children, and the atmosphere they created can best be understood by the speech of a child who once said it seemed to her "the sun was always shining at Edgewood!"

Sources:

Portions of this post were adapted from an article first published by the American Quilt Study Group. See Robare, Mary Holton. "Cheerful and Loving Persistence: Two Historical Quaker Quilts." In Uncoverings 2007, edited by Joanna E. Evans. Volume 28 of the Research Papers of the American Quilt Study Group.

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Ann Hanna Hambleton

Ann was the mother-in-law of Philena Cooper Hambleton, the subject of Philena's Friendship Quilt: A Quaker Farewell to Ohio, and the great-aunt of Senator Marcus Hanna of Ohio.

American Quilt Study Group

Do you know about the American Quilt Study Group (AQSG)? If not, you should. The purpose of this non-profit organization is to establish, sustain, and promote the highest standards for quilt related studies, to encourage these studies, and to provide opportunities to disseminate the work of both academic and non-academic researchers. Membership in the AQSG entitles one to receive Uncoverings, an annual journal of the research papers presented at AQSG's yearly Seminar, and a quarterly publication titled Blanket Statements containing research papers, notes and queries, as well as AQSG and quilt world news. In addition, an annual directory is provided that lists the names, contact information, and interests of current AQSG members--a valuable networking resource that gives access to approximately 950 fellow quilt enthusiasts. Click on the quilt block above to visit AQSG's web site and learn how to become a member. The site also provides information about the organization's annual Seminar, its publication opportunities, its Quilt Study program, and the Technical Guides and other publications available to members and the general public. AQSG is also on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Quilt-Study-Group/149056808116.

Quaker Quilts: Snapshots from an Exhibition

This pamphlet by Mary Holton Robare contains photographic and informational snapshots of quilts that were displayed in a three-day exhibit of Quaker Quilts held at Abram's Delight Museum in Winchester, Virginia, in 2014. The exhibit featured twenty-six quilts made between ca. 1840 and 2007. Click on the image to learn more about it.

Quilts and Quaker Heritage

Mary Holton Robare's book on selected quilts from an exhibition at the Virginia Quilt Museum in 2008. Click on the book to order and search by title.

Philena's Friendship Quilt: A Quaker Farewell to Ohio

In this 4th publication of the Ohio Quilt Series published by Ohio University Press, Lynda Salter Chenoweth presents the story of Philena Cooper Hambleton and the quilt made for her in Ohio in 1853 to take with her when she migrated to Iowa. To order, click on the book and then search by title.

Neighbors and Friends: Quakers in Community

Lynda Salter Chenoweth's second book based on her research into Philena's quilt tells the stories of those whose names appear on the quilt and places their lives in context. To order, click on the book and then search by title.

When This You See Remember Me

Also of interest by Mary Holton Robare. Schoolgirl Samplers of Winchester and Frederick County, Virginia. To order, click on the book, click "Store", then "Softcover Books" and search on title.

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Copyright

(c) 2011-2017 Lynda Salter Chenoweth and Mary Holton Robare. Absolutely no reproduction or distribution permitted beyond one copy for personal study. For additional permissions regarding text please e-mail lchen@saber.net. All images are reproduced with permission of copyright holders. Any commercial or online use is strictly forbidden.

Lynda Salter Chenoweth

Mary Holton Robare

About Us

Lynda and Mary are quilt historians experienced in researching and publishing information about quilts made by members of the Religious Society of Friends. Their particular interest is in 19th century inscribed quilts that document Quaker families and their communities.
Lynda lives in Sonoma,California, and is a writer, a quilter, a researcher, and a member of the Board of the American Quilt Study Group. Mary lives in Winchester, Virginia, and is a writer, a researcher, and a choreographer and dance instructor.